Shopper Culture

Target's New Shops

On Sunday, Target will launch the long-awaited The Shops at Target, the retailer’s latest installment of its design and limited-edition boutiques. But this time around, the retailer took a different approach. Rather than signing a big designer name like in past years (Zac Posen, Missoni, and Calypso St. Barths, to name a few), Target sought out unique specialty stores and boutiques from around the country. Products from five different boutiques will be featured: The Candy Store (candy, out of San Fransicso), Cos Bar (makeup and skincare, out of Aspen), Polka Dog Bakery (pet items, out of Boston), Privet House (home goods, out of Connecticut), and The Webster (apparel,... Read more →

Tales from Russia - Pride and Consumption

There it was, the new fragrence by Dior® seen everywhere on the streets, in magazines, and plastered on the side of buildings. It was displayed proudly on the living-room armoire. Still in its box, it sat there like a beaming gold status symbol for anyone entering the room to see. While in Moscow, we visited a woman who took great pride in everything she purchased. From a store full of cosmetics stored in the refrigerator and drawers, to a lineup of body care displayed in the entry way, to that bottle of fragrance proudly sitting in the living room, she took great pride in the items she purchased... Read more →

Tales From Russia - Luxury

After a day and a half of being delayed by winter storms, we finally arrived in Moscow in the middle of the night. I was greeted by an unpleasant young man asking for my passport. The walls were gray, and a single florescent light flickered above. In a strong Russian accent, the young man uttered one word in English. “Go”. We knew then we were not in the Western world anymore. After spending a few days in Moscow, however, it began to feel a bit more like being at home. Outdoor boards, TV channels, wall postings, magazines in people’s homes, all advertising Audi®, TAG®, Gucci®, BMW®, Dior®. But... Read more →

Subconscious Branding

Ever notice the crates that produce is stacked on? I usually don't. Then these caught my eye: And these too: Cute. Well-designed. And very evocative of antique produce labels like these. Do most people notice them? Probably not. But they're picked up in our peripheral vision and filed away somewhere in our minds. And when we do happen to notice them, they add an unexpected delight to our shopping trip and give us a clear sense of the Whole Foods sensibility. MOST of our thinking is subconscious. In fact, the brain gets more done by 'automating' our tasks (driving a car is a perfect exmample of this). Shopping... Read more →

It's More Lifestyle Than Shopping

Recently a new breed of supermarket, termed boutique, has grabbed my attention. Take Ole for example, its outlets are set up in several tier-one and tier-two cities nationwide including a new store in Shanghai that opened for business a couple of months ago. Located at Grand Gateway in downtown Xujiahui, it covers a small area, drives relatively small-time traffic (targeting the elite customer), and sells more than 70% import-oriented commodities. Items like organic food, cheese and meat products, fresh seafood and sushi, pastries, wines and spirits, chocolate, and more. The aesthetics of the store environment are high-end and fashionable and can be seen from the moment you step... Read more →

All The Coffee in Brazil

While on a recent visit to the Integer Group office in Sao Paulo, I took some time out to visit a bit of Brazilian retail. Brazil has some interesting things going on, and the retail landscape is far less concentrated than it is in more developed markets. Having said that though, it felt very familiar. In a high-end mall, I stumbled across this McCafe format. Somewhat incongruent to my western eyes, there were a couple of interesting observations. First,this is a stand-alone, coffee only McDonald's format. Second, the context in which it sat surrounded, by high-end fashion stores. I found it interesting that the brand is in a... Read more →

The Psychology Of Color At Retail

Recently we executed some in-market research for developing in-store POS pieces to be used in a busy supermarkets. Wanting to make sure we caught the shopper's attention with the right in store media, we took a series of shelf extenders into a retail environment, affixed them to a store shelf and asked shoppers to shop the aisle without telling them what they were looking for. It was an interesting real-life test - shoppers denied seeing the extender in every instance except for one - when the extender was mostly yellow. In that instance, shoppers recalled either the sign or the messaging more than 65% of the time. Even... Read more →

Findings from NACS/Coca-Cola Convenience Store Pilot Test

The NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council's has released their findings from the latest convenience store pilot initiative. Testing supports the Shopper Hierarchy of Needs Model that was revealed last year which identified a shoppers' basic, fundamental, and emotional needs. The test aimed to further previous findings by testing solution-oriented merchandising fixtures designed to increase simplicity and ease of shopping to see if it, in turn, engaged shoppers and increased sales. The report reveals that: 78% of shoppers say they choose a c-store based on whether or not the store "always has what they need" Cravings drive impulse purchases Brand specific purchases can be influenced To read more of the... Read more →

How Iconic Is Your Figure?

It's hard enough to have a recognizable silhouette. But what do you do when you find that your iconic shape just isn't that functional? Heinz had this experience when it redesigned its iconic bottle in 2002: It's eminently functional: no drips, no liquid pouring out first, easy to grip, shatter-proof, holds more product, stacks face-out, fits the fridge door, etc. But did the designers include "unique" or "iconic" as criteria? Did they want to evoke the timeless curves of a cello? (They could have.) Given that Hunt's, A&P's, and other brands looks almost the same, probably not. (Interestingly, Heinz's new packets echo the new bottles). How many cues... Read more →

Decorative Barcodes To Customize Your Program

An interesting article in Springwise earlier this month discussed Vanity Barcodes launching a barcode-customization business much like the one Japanese Design Barcode previously introduced. The implications for brands could be really exciting and fun, especially in the CPG/consumer promotions world. Imagine running a loyalty "collect them all and win" program using nothing more than the barcodes on your packaging. Codes could also be customized specifically by category or product variety. With the rise of mobile technologies and incorporating things like digital barcode scanners and augmented reality, the potential use for specially designed barcodes becomes very intriguing. In it's simplest form, custom barcodes could be used as unique branding... Read more →

Chicken Soup for the Brain

A Wall Street Journal article today took a close look at the "neuromarketing" research Campbell's did, when redesigning their in-store signage. The article stated that "for two years, Campbell researchers studied microscopic changes in skin moisture, heart rate and other biometrics to see how consumers react to everything from pictures of bowls of soup to logo design". As you can see from the picture on the right, the shift from the old imagery to the the new is significant. Formerly believed emotional cues, like the spoon, were discovered to be less important than steam which provided a feeling of warmth. As techniques like this become more cost effective... Read more →

When Design is Ubiquitous

Getalogo.com will make you a logo for $249. Adobe Elements is $79. Pixlr.com is free. What happens when design tools and designers are so inexpensive and abundant that good design becomes common? You end up with a shelf of $2 energy drinks that looks like this: Good design used to be purview of the few, and was therefore a competitive advantage. In some categories, that's still true (e.g., Method detergent). But once good design is ubiquitous, what happens to design-oriented companies? Will Oxo and Alessi and Method and Target need to develop new points of difference? Read more →

Poor Shoppability Sinks Tropicana's New Packaging

Tropicana unveiled new packaging in January in the US. Find it quick, though, because they're bringing back the old. Why the about face? An apparently small but vocal group decried the new packaging. According to Neil Campbell, president of Tropicana North America, “We underestimated the deep emotional bond” their most loyal customers have with the brand. Really? Blogs, news, and Twitter reveal two other hypotheses. First, the new packaging is just not shoppable. People have a hard time finding the brand, and when they do, they can't differentiate among the varieties (no pulp, calcium, etc.). The words are small, and the color coding along the top edge can... Read more →

Missing Opportunities

We recently came across some interesting research conducted by Marks & Spencer in the UK. As reported by WGSN, Marks & Spencer has discovered that its 40+ shoppers, while being very loyal, are actually frustrated by the lack of clothes that are specifically designed and made to satisfy their needs. They found that, of this boomer generation in the UK: Nine out of 10 women over 50 believe they are not the 50-year-old their mother was. Eight out of 10 women take pride in sharing their age. Only 3% of women over 50 would describe themselves as over the hill. 82% of women think turning 50 shouldn't be... Read more →

What's the color of optimism?

Designers and marketers are hoping to inject some optimism and reassurance into people’s lives during these hard economic times—with color. Every December, PANTONE, the world’s color leader, chooses the color that will represent the upcoming year. Last month they announced that 2009 will be filled with color 14-0848, aka “Mimosa”. "The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," said PANTONE Color Institute executive director Leatrice Eiseman. “It is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation." Which is why, of course, it’s named after the cocktail. Mimosa is also versatile. It coordinates with many other... Read more →